wordplaydev · amyjko · Feb 14, 2026 · Feb 8, 2026 · Feb 8, 2026 · Feb 8, 2026
diff --git a/firestore.rules b/firestore.rules
@@ -149,6 +149,8 @@ service cloud.firestore {
 
       function isRequestorViewer(uid) {
         return 
+          "scopeOverwrite" in resource.data &&
+          !resource.data.scopeOverwrite &&
           "viewersFlat" in resource.data && 
           uid in resource.data.viewersFlat;
       }

diff --git a/src/db/howtos/HowToDatabase.svelte.ts b/src/db/howtos/HowToDatabase.svelte.ts
@@ -90,7 +90,9 @@ const HowToSchemaV1 = z.object({
     viewers: z.record(z.string(), z.array(z.string())),
     /** Flat version of viewers, calculated in a firestore function, for firestore rule queries */
     viewersFlat: z.array(z.string()),
-    /** If the user wants to overwrite the scope set by the gallery curator */
+    /** True if the user restricts access to the how-to to only those who have direct access to the gallery
+     * I.e., overwrites the gallery curator "expanding" how-to viewing permissions
+     */
     scopeOverwrite: z.boolean(),
     /** Locales that the how-to depends on All ISO 639-1 languaage codes, followed by a -, followed by ISO 3166-2 region code: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166-2 */
     locales: z.array(z.string()),
@@ -239,6 +241,10 @@ export default class HowTo {
         return this.data.social.viewCount;
     }
 
+    getScopeOverwrite() {
+        return this.data.scopeOverwrite;
+    }
+
     getData() {
         return { ...this.data };
     }
@@ -345,6 +351,7 @@ export class HowToDatabase {
         locales: string[],
         reactionTypes: Record<string, string>,
         notify: boolean,
+        overwriteAccessScope: boolean,
     ): Promise<HowTo | undefined | false> {
         if (firestore === undefined) return undefined;
         const user = this.db.getUser()?.uid;
@@ -384,7 +391,7 @@ export class HowToDatabase {
             collaborators: collaborators,
             viewers: {} as Record<string, string[]>,
             viewersFlat: [] as string[],
-            scopeOverwrite: false,
+            scopeOverwrite: overwriteAccessScope,
             locales: locales,
             social: newHowToSocial,
         };
@@ -488,7 +495,10 @@ export class HowToDatabase {
             or(
                 or(...creatorOrCollaborator),
                 or(...editorGalleryConstraints),
-                where('viewersFlat', 'array-contains', userId),
+                and(
+                    where('scopeOverwrite', '==', false),
+                    where('viewersFlat', 'array-contains', userId)
+                ),
             ),
         );
 

diff --git a/src/locale/en-US.json b/src/locale/en-US.json
@@ -4559,10 +4559,29 @@
                     "placeholder": "Title"
                 },
                 "titlePlaceholder": "Untitled how-to",
-                "collaboratorsPrompt": "Add a collaborator, who can edit this how-to",
+                "collaborators": {
+                    "header": "👥 collaborators",
+                    "explanation": "Collaborators can edit this how-to and view it in drafts."
+                },
                 "collaboratorsToggle": {
                     "on": "collapse the collaborators panel",
                     "off": "expand the collaborators panel"
+                },
+                "access": {
+                    "header": "↗ share",
+                    "explanation": "The curator of this gallery can let creators and curators of other galleries they curate view this how-to. If you don't want them to be able to view it, you can restrict who can view this how-to to only the curators and creators in this gallery."
+                },
+                "accessToggle": {
+                    "on": "collapse the access settings panel",
+                    "off": "expand the access settings panel"
+                },
+                "accessMode": {
+                    "label": "restrict who can view this how-to",
+                    "labels": ["restricted", "expanded"],
+                    "tips": [
+                        "only creators in this gallery can view",
+                        "creators and curators in any gallery the curator curates can view"
+                    ]
                 }
             },
             "viewer": {

diff --git a/src/routes/gallery/[galleryid]/howto/HowToForm.svelte b/src/routes/gallery/[galleryid]/howto/HowToForm.svelte
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
     import MarkupHTMLView from '@components/concepts/MarkupHTMLView.svelte';
     import { getUser } from '@components/project/Contexts';
     import CreatorList from '@components/project/CreatorList.svelte';
-    import { TileKind } from '@components/project/Tile';
     import Button from '@components/widgets/Button.svelte';
     import ConfirmButton from '@components/widgets/ConfirmButton.svelte';
     import Dialog from '@components/widgets/Dialog.svelte';
@@ -21,7 +20,6 @@
     import type Gallery from '@db/galleries/Gallery';
     import HowTo from '@db/howtos/HowToDatabase.svelte';
     import type { ButtonText } from '@locale/UITexts';
-    import { COLLABORATE_SYMBOL } from '@parser/Symbols';
     import type { Snippet } from 'svelte';
     import type { SvelteMap } from 'svelte/reactivity';
     import { movePermitted } from './HowToMovement';
@@ -232,6 +230,7 @@
                 ['en-US'],
                 gallery ? gallery.getHowToReactions() : {},
                 notify,
+                overwriteAccess,
             );
 
             // pan the camera to the new how-to
@@ -261,6 +260,7 @@
                 xcoord: writeX,
                 ycoord: writeY,
                 collaborators: allCollaborators,
+                scopeOverwrite: overwriteAccess,
                 social: {
                     ...howTo.getSocial(),
                     notifySubscribers: notify,
@@ -433,6 +433,12 @@
             });
         }
     }
+
+    // allowing the user to overwrite the gallery's expanded viewing permissions
+    let accessToggle: boolean = $state(false);
+    let overwriteAccess: boolean = $derived(
+        howTo ? howTo.getScopeOverwrite() : false,
+    );
 </script>
 
 <!-- button to click to open the how-to dialog. if there is a preview (i.e., it is published), use the preview as the button. 
@@ -499,11 +505,12 @@
         <div class="optionsarea">
             {#if collabToggle}
                 <div class="optionspanel">
-                    <Subheader>
-                        {COLLABORATE_SYMBOL}{TileKind.Collaborate}
-                    </Subheader>
+                    <Subheader
+                        text={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.collaborators.header}
+                    />
                     <MarkupHTMLView
-                        markup={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.collaboratorsPrompt}
+                        markup={(l) =>
+                            l.ui.howto.editor.collaborators.explanation}
                     ></MarkupHTMLView>
 
                     <Labeled label={(l) => l.ui.collaborate.role.collaborators}>
@@ -522,6 +529,19 @@
                     </Labeled>
                 </div>
             {/if}
+            {#if accessToggle}
+                <div class="optionspanel">
+                    <Subheader text={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.access.header} />
+                    <MarkupHTMLView
+                        markup={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.access.explanation}
+                    />
+                    <Mode
+                        modes={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.accessMode}
+                        choice={overwriteAccess ? 0 : 1}
+                        select={(num) => (overwriteAccess = num === 0)}
+                    />
+                </div>
+            {/if}
         </div>
 
         <div class="toolbar">
@@ -533,8 +553,20 @@
                         collabToggle = !collabToggle;
                     }}
                 >
-                    {COLLABORATE_SYMBOL}
-                    {TileKind.Collaborate}
+                    <MarkupHTMLView
+                        markup={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.collaborators.header}
+                    />
+                </Toggle>
+                <Toggle
+                    tips={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.accessToggle}
+                    on={accessToggle}
+                    toggle={() => {
+                        accessToggle = !accessToggle;
+                    }}
+                >
+                    <MarkupHTMLView
+                        markup={(l) => l.ui.howto.editor.access.header}
+                    />
                 </Toggle>
             </div>
             <div class="toolbar-right">

diff --git a/src/routes/gallery/[galleryid]/howto/PageText.ts b/src/routes/gallery/[galleryid]/howto/PageText.ts
@@ -69,10 +69,16 @@ type PageText = {
         title: FieldText;
         /** Placeholder for an untitled how-to */
         titlePlaceholder: string;
-        /** Collaboration */
-        collaboratorsPrompt: string;
+        /** Header for collaborator settings */
+        collaborators: HeaderAndExplanationText;
         /** Collaborator toggle text */
         collaboratorsToggle: ToggleText;
+        /** Header for access settings */
+        access: HeaderAndExplanationText;
+        /** Access settings toggle text */
+        accessToggle: ToggleText;
+        /** Mode text for opting in/out of expanded access to how-tos */
+        accessMode: ModeText<[string, string]>;
     };
     viewer: {
         /** Button text for viewing the how-to */

diff --git a/static/schemas/LocaleText.json b/static/schemas/LocaleText.json
@@ -10802,9 +10802,21 @@
                 "editor": {
                   "additionalProperties": false,
                   "properties": {
-                    "collaboratorsPrompt": {
-                      "description": "Collaboration",
-                      "type": "string"
+                    "access": {
+                      "$ref": "#/definitions/HeaderAndExplanationText",
+                      "description": "Header for access settings"
+                    },
+                    "accessMode": {
+                      "$ref": "#/definitions/ModeText%3C%5Bstring%2Cstring%5D%3E",
+                      "description": "Mode text for opting in/out of expanded access to how-tos"
+                    },
+                    "accessToggle": {
+                      "$ref": "#/definitions/ToggleText",
+                      "description": "Access settings toggle text"
+                    },
+                    "collaborators": {
+                      "$ref": "#/definitions/HeaderAndExplanationText",
+                      "description": "Header for collaborator settings"
                     },
                     "collaboratorsToggle": {
                       "$ref": "#/definitions/ToggleText",
@@ -10852,8 +10864,11 @@
                     "editor",
                     "title",
                     "titlePlaceholder",
-                    "collaboratorsPrompt",
-                    "collaboratorsToggle"
+                    "collaborators",
+                    "collaboratorsToggle",
+                    "access",
+                    "accessToggle",
+                    "accessMode"
                   ],
                   "type": "object"
                 },